| English Dictionary |
SOFT
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does soft mean?
• SOFT (adjective)
The adjective SOFT has 19 senses:
1. yielding readily to pressure or weight
2. compassionate and kind; conciliatory
3. (of sound) relatively low in volume
4. easily hurt
5. produced with vibration of the vocal cords
6. not protected against attack (especially by nuclear weapons)
7. (used chiefly as a direction or description in music) soft; in a quiet, subdued tone
8. (of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected
9. (of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward the hard palate; characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as 's' and 'sh')
10. (of a commodity or market or currency) falling or likely to fall in value
11. using evidence not readily amenable to experimental verification or refutation
12. tolerant or lenient
13. soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
14. having little impact
15. out of condition; not strong or robust; incapable of exertion or endurance
16. willing to negotiate and compromise
17. not burdensome or demanding; borne or done easily and without hardship
18. mild and pleasant
19. not brilliant or glaring
Familiarity information: SOFT used as an adjective is very familiar.
• SOFT (adverb)
The adverb SOFT has 1 sense:
1. in a relaxed manner; or without hardship
Familiarity information: SOFT used as an adverb is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
| Declension: comparative and superlative |
Superlative: softest
Sense 1
Meaning:
Yielding readily to pressure or weight
Similar:
downlike; downy; flossy; fluffy (like down or as soft as down)
velvet; velvety (resembling velvet in having a smooth soft surface)
spongelike; spongy; squashy; squishy (easily squashed; resembling a sponge in having soft porous texture and compressibility)
semisoft; softish (somewhat soft)
overstuffed (upholstered thickly and deeply)
mushy (having the consistency of mush)
yielding (lacking stiffness and giving way to pressure)
flocculent; woolly; wooly (having a fluffy character or appearance)
flaccid (drooping without elasticity; wanting in stiffness)
demulcent; emollient; salving; softening (having a softening or soothing effect especially to the skin)
cushioned; cushiony; padded (softened by the addition of cushions or padding)
cottony (resembling cotton; as soft as cotton)
compressible; squeezable (capable of being easily compressed)
cheeselike (having the consistency of cheese)
brushed; fleecy; napped ((of fabrics) having soft nap produced by brushing)
Attribute:
hardness (the property of being rigid and resistant to pressure; not easily scratched; measured on Mohs scale)
Antonym:
hard (resisting weight or pressure)
Derivation:
softness (the property of giving little resistance to pressure and being easily cut or molded)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Compassionate and kind; conciliatory
Context example:
he was soft on his children
Similar:
mellow; mellowed (softened through age or experience)
Also:
warmhearted (marked by warmth of feeling like kindness and sympathy and generosity)
tender (given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality)
Antonym:
hard (dispassionate)
Derivation:
softness (acting in a manner that is gentle and mild and even-tempered)
Sense 3
Meaning:
(of sound) relatively low in volume
Context example:
soft music
Similar:
murmurous; rustling; soughing; susurrous (characterized by soft sounds)
soft-spoken (having a speaking manner that is not loud or harsh)
soft-footed (sound of quiet gentle steps)
murmuring; susurrant; whispering (making a low continuous indistinct sound)
low; low-toned (very low in volume)
little; small ((of a voice) faint)
hushed; muted; quiet; subdued (in a softened tone)
gentle (quiet and soothing)
euphonious ((of speech or dialect) pleasing in sound; not harsh or strident)
dull; muffled; muted; softened (being or made softer or less loud or clear)
Also:
quiet (free of noise or uproar; or making little if any sound)
Attribute:
intensity; loudness; volume (the magnitude of sound (usually in a specified direction))
Antonym:
loud (characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity)
Derivation:
softness (a sound property that is free from loudness or stridency)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Easily hurt
Synonyms:
delicate; soft
Context example:
a baby's delicate skin
Similar:
tender; untoughened (physically untoughened)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Produced with vibration of the vocal cords
Synonyms:
Context example:
voiced consonants such as 'b' and 'g' and 'z'
Sense 6
Meaning:
Not protected against attack (especially by nuclear weapons)
Context example:
soft targets
Antonym:
hardened (protected against attack (especially by nuclear weapons))
Sense 7
Meaning:
(used chiefly as a direction or description in music) soft; in a quiet, subdued tone
Synonyms:
piano; soft
Context example:
the piano passages in the composition
Similar:
pianissimo; pianissimo assai ((chiefly a direction or description in music) very soft)
Sense 8
Meaning:
(of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected
Synonyms:
Antonym:
hard ((of light) transmitted directly from a pointed light source)
Sense 9
Meaning:
(of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward the hard palate; characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as 's' and 'sh')
Similar:
continuant; fricative; sibilant; spirant; strident (of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as 'f', 's', 'z', or 'th' in both 'thin' and 'then'))
palatal; palatalised; palatalized (produced with the front of the tongue near or touching the hard palate (as 'y') or with the blade of the tongue near the hard palate (as 'ch' in 'chin' or 'j' in 'gin'))
Antonym:
hard ((of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward or touching the velum)
Derivation:
softness (a sound property that is free from loudness or stridency)
Sense 10
Meaning:
(of a commodity or market or currency) falling or likely to fall in value
Context example:
the market for computers is soft
Similar:
falling (becoming lower or less in degree or value)
Derivation:
softness (a state of declining economic condition)
Sense 11
Meaning:
Using evidence not readily amenable to experimental verification or refutation
Context example:
the soft sciences
Similar:
qualitative (involving distinctions based on qualities)
Sense 12
Meaning:
Tolerant or lenient
Synonyms:
Context example:
they are soft on crime
Similar:
permissive (granting or inclined or able to grant permission; not strict in discipline)
Derivation:
softness (a disposition to be lenient in judging others)
Sense 13
Meaning:
Soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
Synonyms:
gentle; soft
Context example:
poked gentle fun at him
Similar:
mild (moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme)
Sense 14
Meaning:
Having little impact
Synonyms:
Context example:
a soft (or light) tapping at the window
Similar:
light (of little intensity or power or force)
Sense 15
Meaning:
Out of condition; not strong or robust; incapable of exertion or endurance
Synonyms:
Context example:
flaccid cheeks
Similar:
unfit (not in good physical or mental condition; out of condition)
Derivation:
softness (poor physical condition; being out of shape or out of condition (as from a life of ease and luxury))
Sense 16
Meaning:
Willing to negotiate and compromise
Similar:
conciliative; conciliatory (intended to placate)
Derivation:
softness (acting in a manner that is gentle and mild and even-tempered)
Sense 17
Meaning:
Not burdensome or demanding; borne or done easily and without hardship
Synonyms:
Context example:
a soft job
Similar:
easy (posing no difficulty; requiring little effort)
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Sense 18
Meaning:
Mild and pleasant
Synonyms:
Context example:
a soft breeze
Similar:
clement ((of weather or climate) physically mild)
Derivation:
softness (the quality of weather that is deliciously mild and soothing)
Sense 19
Meaning:
Not brilliant or glaring
Synonyms:
soft; subdued
Context example:
subdued lighting
Similar:
dull (emitting or reflecting very little light)
Derivation:
softness (a visual property that is subdued and free from brilliance or glare)
Sense 1
Meaning:
In a relaxed manner; or without hardship
Synonyms:
easy; soft
Context example:
the judge went easy on the young defendant
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Pertainym:
soft (not burdensome or demanding; borne or done easily and without hardship)
Context examples
However, a study indicated that ice is too soft to be the dominant component of Ceres' strong crust.
(Dawn Finds Possible Ancient Ocean Remnants at Ceres, NASA)
A rare malignant soft tissue neoplasm arising from the vascular endothelium of the adrenal gland.
(Adrenal Gland Angiosarcoma, NCI Thesaurus)
You are as cool and soft as snow.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
An alveolar soft part sarcoma occurring in adults.
(Adult Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma, NCI Thesaurus)
It was in this way that the grey cub learned other attributes of his mother than the soft, soothing tongue.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
To avoid extra calories, many pregnant women replace sugar-sweetened soft drinks and juices with beverages containing artificial sweeteners.
(Drinking diet beverages during pregnancy linked to child obesity, NIH)
The work represents another advance in the development of soft, flexible electronics that interface well with human tissue.
(Electronic device implanted in the brain could stop seizures, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
An osteosarcoma arising from the soft tissues, and occurring in adults.
(Adult Extraskeletal Osteosarcoma, NCI Thesaurus)
It usually affects the deep soft tissues of extremities, trunk, head and neck.
(Adult Fibrosarcoma, NCI Thesaurus)
A benign soft tissue neoplasm characterized by the presence of neoplastic spindle and stellate cells in a myxoid stroma.
(Angiomyxoma, NCI Thesaurus)
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